In our tenth and final installment of our series on researching the history of the house at 405 Willow St., we will take a look at the life of Eugene Vinton “Gene” Marshall (1925-2005).
As we have seen in previous installments of this series, Gene Marshall and his wife, whose name was Elizabeth, bought the house at 405 Willow St. from the Reardon family, who sold it after the death of Mrs. Marie Reardon 1884-1967).
The title history of the property that was supplied by the current owner of 405 Willow St. shows that the younger Judge Reardon deeded the property to Gene and Elizabeth on 5 Sept. 1967. Eight days later, the Marshalls’ mortgage payment plan with Pekin Savings & Loan was recorded. The title history also indicates that the Marshalls paid off their mortgage on 28 Jan. 1982. The last item on the title history is dated 7 May 1984, but it is unclear what that instrument or deed was.
During Pekin’s celebration of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, the Pekin Bicentennial Commission gave the Eugene Marshall family a special award for their work of restoration on the house at 405 Willow St. A Pekin Daily Times article dated 1 Oct. 1976 announced the award, and provides an overview of the house’s history. The 1976 article mentions that about four years earlier, the house had suffered “a $25,000 fire that destroyed the southwest corner, also collapsing several ceilings and causing all sorts of damage.”
As we saw in a previous installment of this series, that was the second fire to strike the house. The article notes that “another one in about 1906 demolished a third floor ballroom and captain’s walk which used to be a distinctive feature of the edifice.”
The article also states that Dietrich C. Smith built the house “in 1868, three years after the Civil War” – “According to most reports,” it says. However, as we have seen from the house’s title history and old city directories, Smith did not acquire the property until 8 May 1871 nor live there until about 1871 or 1872, so the house was most likely built about that time.
Gene Marshall, a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean Conflict, was an employee of the Central Illinois Light Co. (CILCO) for more than 37 years. Pekin city directories and his obituary show that he was a construction superintendent for CILCO.
Gene’s obituary in the Pekin Daily Times says he was born 24 May 1925 in Bloomington, Illinois, a son of Robert Stanley and Frieda (Thurman) Marshall. He married Elizabeth Oma Dolan (1925-1991) in Peoria on 19 Aug. 1953, and together they had six and five sons. Two of their children, a son and a daughter who were fraternal twins, died in infancy, but their other nine children grew to adulthood in the house at 405 Willow St.
Gene’s wife Elizabeth was born 21 Aug. 1925 in Peoria, a daughter of Bertram Joseph and Bernardine E. (Barry) Dolan. Elizabeth, a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Pekin, died at the age of 65 on 4 Feb. 1991 at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria and was buried in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Pekin.
Her husband Gene survived her by 14 years, dying on 21 Nov. 2005 at Pekin Hospital, and was buried by her side at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. At the time of his death, he was survived by his nine children, 19 grandchildren, and three great-grandsons. Since then, his daughter Kathleen and his sons Richard and James have passed away.
After Gene’s death, his family sold the house at 405 Willow St. to the current owners, who belong to a family who had lived near the house. The Tazewell County Assessor’s website shows that Gene’s daughter Kathleen Ann (Marshall) Milkereit (1954-2008) sold the house to the current owners on 26 May 2006.
Following are the newspaper obituaries of Eugene and Elizabeth Marshall:
PEKIN — Eugene Vinton “Gene” Marshall, 80, of 405 Willow Street, passed away at 6:35 p.m. Monday, November 21, 2005 at Pekin Hospital.
Born May 24, 1925 in Bloomington to Robert Stanley and Frieda Thurman Marshall, he married Elizabeth Oma Dolan on August 19, 1953 in Peoria. She died February 4, 1991 in Peoria. He was also preceded in death by twin infant son and daughter (Martin Joseph Marshall and Julie Mary Marshall), one brother (Robert S. Marshall, Jr.), one sister (Neva Phillips), and one daughter-in-law (Deborah Marshall).
Surviving are five daughters, Kathleen A. “Kathy” (Kurt) Milkereit, Nancy B. Sisco, and Deborah M. (Billy) Shindledecker, all of Pekin, Maureen R. (Dale) Trovillion of Deer Creek, and Peggy T. (Greg) Horchem of Everman, Texas; four sons, Eugene V. (Judy) Marshall, III, James C. Marshall, and John M. Marshall, all of Pekin, and Richard J. (Debbie) Marshall of South Beloit; nineteen grandchildren; three great-grandsons; and a brother-in-law, Joseph R. (Dell) Dolan of Peoria.
Gene was a graduate of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
A United States Army veteran of the Korean War, he served from January 4, 1949 to January 4, 1950 and September 30, 1950 to October 17, 1951. He attained the rank of Sergeant First Class.
Gene worked for Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO) for 37 ½ years, retiring in 1983 as a construction superintendent.
He was a member of the American Legion. He was a former member of the Timberlake Club of Peoria and the Peoria Jaycees. He was past president of the Arthritis Foundation in Peoria.
An avid golfer and reader, he enjoyed reading history. He also enjoyed bowling, traveling, and making stain glass.
His funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, November 25, 2005 at the Preston-Hanley Funeral Home, Pekin Chapel, where visitation will be two hours before the funeral. The Rev. Gary L. Ford will officiate. Burial will be in Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Pekin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Mendota Museum and Historical Society, Post Office Box 433, Mendota, Illinois 61342.
PEKIN – Elizabeth O. Marshall, 65, of 405 Willow St., died at 7:46 a.m. Monday, Feb. 4, 1991, in St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Preston-Hanley Funeral Home, Pekin Chapel. The Rev. Thomas Osborne, O.S.A., will officiate. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 Wednesday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
She was born Aug. 21, 1925, in Peoria to Bertram J. and Bernardine Barry Dolan. She married Eugene V. Marshall on Aug. 19, 1953, in Peoria.
Surviving are her husband; four sons, Richard J. of Oak Harbor, Wash. and Eugene V. Jr., James C., and John M., all three of Pekin; five daughters, Mrs. Kurt (Kathleen) Milkereit, Nancy B. Sisco, and Mrs. Billie (Deborah) Schindeldecker, all three of Pekin, Mrs. Dale (Maureen) Trovillion of Deer Creek, and Mrs. Greg (Peggy T.) Horchem of South Pekin; one brother, Joseph R. Dolan of Peoria; and 13 grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her twin infant son and daughter and her parents.
Mrs. Marshall was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church.
With this account of the Marshall family, we bring our series on the history of 405 Willow St. to a close. There is, of course, much more that one could find out about this house if one wished to devote the time to, for example, digging up the annual property tax assessment published in the Pekin Daily Times, or delve more closely into the biographies of Congressman D. C. Smith, the elder Judge Reardon and his wife and children, and Gene and Elizabeth Marshall and their children. But even so, this series has shown at great length just how much one can learn about a house and the people who have called it home.
